Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis
Anoushka Divekar
February 19th, 2013
English 9 Honors
Mr. Hartwig
Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis
“There art thou happy” (Shakespeare III, iii, 137). However, neither Romeo nor Juliet can be happy without the other. Due to the situation and consequences in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence and Juliet’s Nurse should not be held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Neither Romeo nor Juliet will listen to anything the Friar or the Nurse say concerning each other, believing they are in love. The plan that the Friar creates, and the Nurse is unaware of, would have prevented the deaths of Romeo and Juliet if it were not for an unlucky set of circumstances. In the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, the son and daughter of two feuding families fall in love at first sight. Resulting from a series of unfortunate events, Romeo is banished from his town, and Juliet is to marry a man whom she has never met. Many misunderstandings later, William Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, come to an untimely death, and are honored for their love.
Neither Romeo nor Juliet will listen to anything their elders say concerning each other, believing that their actions are out of love. After Romeo is banished from his hometown of Verona, he goes to Friar Lawrence seeking help. After Friar Lawrence gives Romeo some advice regarding Juliet, Romeo picks up a dagger and attempts to stab himself. This shows that even after the Friar has given Romeo advice, he is still not willing to do anything without his love, Juliet. He would rather kill himself than spend his life without Juliet. Likewise, Juliet would rather disobey her parents and the Nurse than spend a life without Romeo. After a major fight with her parents, Juliet appeals to the Nurse to get her out of her proposed marriage with Paris. After the Nurse speaks her heart and advises Juliet to forget about Romeo and marry Paris, Shakespeare writes, “[…] Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain./I’ll to the friar to know his remedy./If all else fail, myself have power to die” (III, v, 242-244). This demonstrates that Juliet also would also rather die than live a life without Romeo. Despite numerous pieces of advice from both the Friar and the Nurse, neither Romeo nor Juliet are willing to live a life without the other, and both planned to commit suicide if this were the case. Because Romeo and Juliet would not listen to the advice clearly given to them by the Friar and the Nurse, they cannot be held accountable for the deaths of the two lovers in Romeo and Juliet.
The plan that Friar Lawrence conceives in Romeo and Juliet to keep Romeo and Juliet alive and married would have worked, if unforeseen situations had not arisen. Once Romeo is banished from Verona, Friar Lawrence creates a plan to keep Juliet and Romeo together. Friar Lawrence creates a potion that will keep Juliet in such a deep sleep that she will appear dead. Romeo would learn of this plan by way of a letter sent by Friar Lawrence. Romeo would meet Juliet at her awakening, and with the aid of Friar Lawrence, Shakespeare’s protagonists would go to the nearby city of Mantua to live happily ever after. The plan works perfectly until the letter sent by Friar Lawrence does not reach Romeo in a timely fashion due to the rules governing the entrance to Mantua. Believing that Juliet is truly dead, Romeo sets off for Verona to commit suicide and die next to Juliet. Soon after, Friar Lawrence finds out that Romeo has not received his letter. “Unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood,/The letter was not nice, but full of charge,/Of dear import; and the neglecting it/May do much danger. Friar John, go hence,/Get me an iron crow and bring it straight/Unto my cell” (V, iii, 17-22). This shows that Friar Lawrence had no idea his letter had not reached Romeo, and upon realizing this, Friar Lawrence tries to rectify the unfortunate flaw in his plan. The Nurse, not being aware of the Friar’s plan, could not have done anything to save Romeo and Juliet. When the Friar tells Juliet of his plan, he says, “[…] Tomorrow night look that thou lie alone;/ Let not the nurse lie with thee in thy chamber […]” (IV, ii, 91-92). Here, the Friar specifically tells Juliet not to inform the Nurse of his plan. Thus, the Nurse is oblivious to the cause of the apparent death of Juliet, and believes her to really be dead. Because it was not Friar Lawrence’s fault that Romeo did not receive his letter, and the Nurse was not aware of the Friar’s plan to begin with, neither the Friar nor the Nurse can be held responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Although the ending of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is tragic, neither the Friar nor the Nurse can be held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet will not listen to advice given to them by the Nurse or the Friar, believing that their actions are for the better. It was not due to the Friar or the Nurse that Friar Lawrence’s plan became flawed. Though in many cases, all is fair in love and war, there “never was a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (V, iii, 309-310).
February 19th, 2013
English 9 Honors
Mr. Hartwig
Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis
“There art thou happy” (Shakespeare III, iii, 137). However, neither Romeo nor Juliet can be happy without the other. Due to the situation and consequences in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence and Juliet’s Nurse should not be held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Neither Romeo nor Juliet will listen to anything the Friar or the Nurse say concerning each other, believing they are in love. The plan that the Friar creates, and the Nurse is unaware of, would have prevented the deaths of Romeo and Juliet if it were not for an unlucky set of circumstances. In the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, the son and daughter of two feuding families fall in love at first sight. Resulting from a series of unfortunate events, Romeo is banished from his town, and Juliet is to marry a man whom she has never met. Many misunderstandings later, William Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, come to an untimely death, and are honored for their love.
Neither Romeo nor Juliet will listen to anything their elders say concerning each other, believing that their actions are out of love. After Romeo is banished from his hometown of Verona, he goes to Friar Lawrence seeking help. After Friar Lawrence gives Romeo some advice regarding Juliet, Romeo picks up a dagger and attempts to stab himself. This shows that even after the Friar has given Romeo advice, he is still not willing to do anything without his love, Juliet. He would rather kill himself than spend his life without Juliet. Likewise, Juliet would rather disobey her parents and the Nurse than spend a life without Romeo. After a major fight with her parents, Juliet appeals to the Nurse to get her out of her proposed marriage with Paris. After the Nurse speaks her heart and advises Juliet to forget about Romeo and marry Paris, Shakespeare writes, “[…] Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain./I’ll to the friar to know his remedy./If all else fail, myself have power to die” (III, v, 242-244). This demonstrates that Juliet also would also rather die than live a life without Romeo. Despite numerous pieces of advice from both the Friar and the Nurse, neither Romeo nor Juliet are willing to live a life without the other, and both planned to commit suicide if this were the case. Because Romeo and Juliet would not listen to the advice clearly given to them by the Friar and the Nurse, they cannot be held accountable for the deaths of the two lovers in Romeo and Juliet.
The plan that Friar Lawrence conceives in Romeo and Juliet to keep Romeo and Juliet alive and married would have worked, if unforeseen situations had not arisen. Once Romeo is banished from Verona, Friar Lawrence creates a plan to keep Juliet and Romeo together. Friar Lawrence creates a potion that will keep Juliet in such a deep sleep that she will appear dead. Romeo would learn of this plan by way of a letter sent by Friar Lawrence. Romeo would meet Juliet at her awakening, and with the aid of Friar Lawrence, Shakespeare’s protagonists would go to the nearby city of Mantua to live happily ever after. The plan works perfectly until the letter sent by Friar Lawrence does not reach Romeo in a timely fashion due to the rules governing the entrance to Mantua. Believing that Juliet is truly dead, Romeo sets off for Verona to commit suicide and die next to Juliet. Soon after, Friar Lawrence finds out that Romeo has not received his letter. “Unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood,/The letter was not nice, but full of charge,/Of dear import; and the neglecting it/May do much danger. Friar John, go hence,/Get me an iron crow and bring it straight/Unto my cell” (V, iii, 17-22). This shows that Friar Lawrence had no idea his letter had not reached Romeo, and upon realizing this, Friar Lawrence tries to rectify the unfortunate flaw in his plan. The Nurse, not being aware of the Friar’s plan, could not have done anything to save Romeo and Juliet. When the Friar tells Juliet of his plan, he says, “[…] Tomorrow night look that thou lie alone;/ Let not the nurse lie with thee in thy chamber […]” (IV, ii, 91-92). Here, the Friar specifically tells Juliet not to inform the Nurse of his plan. Thus, the Nurse is oblivious to the cause of the apparent death of Juliet, and believes her to really be dead. Because it was not Friar Lawrence’s fault that Romeo did not receive his letter, and the Nurse was not aware of the Friar’s plan to begin with, neither the Friar nor the Nurse can be held responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Although the ending of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is tragic, neither the Friar nor the Nurse can be held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet will not listen to advice given to them by the Nurse or the Friar, believing that their actions are for the better. It was not due to the Friar or the Nurse that Friar Lawrence’s plan became flawed. Though in many cases, all is fair in love and war, there “never was a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (V, iii, 309-310).
Romeo and Juliet Self Reflection
Title of the Piece
Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis
Content
This essay is written on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The piece explores the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, eventually deciding whether or not anyone was at fault for the two lovers' deaths. Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are two people most closely associated with the deaths of the two lovers; however it is concluded that they are not at fault for the deaths.
What Do You Feel is Good in this Writing?
I think the best part of this writing is the first paragraph. I think that outlines the rest of my essay well, clearly showing the claims made in the rest of the piece.
I also think that I did a good job integrating my quotes, and used decent quotes to explain my point for the most part.
I also like my assertions in general. I think my claims are valid and explain well how nobody was at fault for Romeo and Juliet's deaths.
I liked my attention-getter because I think using a quote from the play itself was effective in capturing the audience's attention to the story. It includes a famous line from the play that a lot of people know. Personally, if I have some background knowledge going into reading the essay, I can pick up on more critical facts, and will be more likely to read and understand it.
I like my transition. I think it flows really well, and the basic story of Romeo and Juliet is portrayed in a couple sentences.
I really like my closing, it is another quote from the story. It also rhymes, giving it a nice ring when read aloud, and I think it makes the essay sound very finished.
What Do You Feel is Poor in this Essay, and How Would You Change It?
I think the part that needs the most work in this essay is the explanation of the arguments in general. I think my claims are okay, though better claims could probably have been made. However, my explanations become very lengthy, and often sound more like a summary or the story than an explanation of the argument. I need to better explain my arguments without turning them into a long-winded summary. At the same time, I need to give enough background detail that someone who has never read Romeo and Juliet before can follow my argument. Looking back to writing this essay, I can remember not really liking my supporting details because I thought they did not have enough evidence to them. Apparently I tried to add detail by including background information, which I see now weighs down the essay with insignificant information.
The other big part of this essay I felt was poor was inconsistent verb tense and lack of parallel structure. For example in the sentence "[...] and both planned to commit suicide[...]," the word 'planned' should be replaced with 'plan'. This was probably a very avoidable mistake, and I should have proofread this essay more carefully. At this time in the year, I did not know a lot about parallel structure. I had a vague idea of what it was, but I had not been formally introduced to it. In the first paragraph, the verbs 'creates' and 'would have prevented' are in the same sentence. 'would have prevented' is wrong to begin with because it is in past tense, and should be in present tense. Also, for the sentence to be in parallel structure, 'would have prevented' should have been changed to 'prevents'.
I think the biggest problem in this essay was that it needed to be proofread much better for tense problems, and I think my essay would have been more sound with different supporting points, because the supporting points
I chose only added to the context and not the argument as a whole.